Companies doing business and investing in high-risk countries often face situations when their local management and staff become hostages of terrorists or are subjected to threats and risks of violence, extortion and kidnapping by local population and criminal organisations.

Often companies underestimate or do not take into account all the risks associated with doing business in these countries.

As a result, there are incidents when people who travel on business or work abroad are targeted by political militants or criminal groups engaged in kidnappings and hostage-takings in order to exert pressure.

These situations, which are of particular concern, run differently depending, for instance, on the personality of the hostage and the level of his preparedness.

Hostage-taking for political or economic purposes always involves negotiations, in which the company participates in one way or another. Regardless of the nationality of the hostage, in the event of his capture for political purposes, negotiations are carried out by state services of the country where the incident occurred, and the company plays only a secondary role. On the other hand, in the event of hostage-taking for financial purposes, either the company itself takes on the lead role in crisis management or government agencies force it to fulfil its legal responsibilities.

In such circumstances companies often require assistance of security professionals (negotiators). Some of the experts of the enterprise become central to the structure of the negotiation process in the capacity of mediators of the negotiations. The success of the negotiations depends partly on the level of preparedness of these specialists.

In the event of such tragic situations, experts of the Peacemaker International Security Centre, drawing on their extensive experience in conducting such negotiations and the necessary training and analytical resources, are ready to provide maximum support for the successful resolution of the crisis.

Our experts are ready to provide the necessary support in organising the required communications with government agencies specialising in the resolution of such crises.

Within the framework of international cooperation, they can also engage the necessary specialists with expertise in the given country and with specific skills and contacts that can help resolve the conflict situation quickly and effectively under the direction of our organisation.